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The Island

Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Peter A. Selwyn, MD, MPH, Department of Family and Social Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 3544 Jerome Ave, Bronx, NY 10467, selwyn{at}aecom.yu.edu

ABSTRACT

A clinician’s chance encounter on the subway, after a long day seeing patients, prompts reflections on the nature of our interactions with our patients and with others we come across in our lives. Random yet precise, these interactions create a string of opportunities to witness other people’s lives as well as our own. Sitting next to a young girl and her mother, the author daydreams about the images that appear to be on the surface, and then suddenly glimpses another level of reality that redefines the stereotypes. Like strangers on a train, we accompany our patients, everyone with their own stories and histories, in a series of unique moments. Occasionally a door opens that lets us see things differently. If we are receptive to it, we may learn something not only about our patients but also about ourselves.

Key Words: Physician-patient communication

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